| Rovaniemi | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| — Municipality — | |||
| Rovaniemen kaupunki | |||
| Rovaniemi from air, October 1999 | |||
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| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | Finland | ||
| Region | Lapland | ||
| Sub-region | Rovaniemi sub-region | ||
| Charter | 1960 | ||
| Government | |||
| • City manager | Mauri Gardin | ||
| Area(2011-01-01)[1] | |||
| • Total | 8,016.72 km2 (3,095.3 sq mi) | ||
| • Land | 7,581.97 km2 (2,927.4 sq mi) | ||
| • Water | 434.75 km2 (167.9 sq mi) | ||
| Area rank | 5th largest in Finland | ||
| Population (2011-01-31)[2] | |||
| • Total | 60,112 | ||
| • Rank | 15th largest in Finland | ||
| • Density | 7.93/km2 (20.5/sq mi) | ||
| Population by native language[3] | |||
| • Finnish | 97.6% (official) | ||
| • Swedish | 0.1% | ||
| • Sami | 0.2% | ||
| • Others | 2.1% | ||
| Population by age[4] | |||
| • 0 to 14 | 17.1% | ||
| • 15 to 64 | 68.1% | ||
| • 65 or older | 14.8% | ||
| Time zone | EET (UTC+2) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | EEST (UTC+3) | ||
| Municipal tax rate[5] | 20% | ||
| Website | www.rovaniemi.fi | ||
Rovaniemi (; Inari Sami: Ruávinjargâ; Northern Sami: Roavenjárga and Roavvenjárga; Skolt Sami: Ruäˊvnjargg) is a city and municipality of Finland. It is the administrative capital and commercial centre of Finland's northernmost province, Lapland. It is situated close to the Arctic Circle and is between the hills of Ounasvaara and Korkalovaara, at the confluence of the Kemijoki River and its tributary, the Ounasjoki. The city and the surrounding Rovaniemen maalaiskunta (Rural municipality of Rovaniemi) were consolidated into a single entity on January 1, 2006. The new municipality has an area of 8,016.72 square kilometres (3,095.27 sq mi) and an approximate population of 60,000.
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The rova part in the name Rovaniemi has often been considered to be of Saamic origin, as "roavve" in Saami denotes a forested ridge or hill or the site of an old forest fire. In Southern Saami dialects, however, rova means a heap of stones, a rock or a group of rocks in a stretch of rapids, or even a sauna stove. The niemi part of the name means "cape".
There has probably been continuous settlement in the Rovaniemi area since the Stone Age. Periodic clearance of new land for agriculture and the practice of slash-and-burn cultivation began around 750–530 B.C. Artifacts found in the area suggest that an increasing number of travelers from Karelia in the east, Häme in the south and the Arctic Ocean coast in the north must have come there from 500 A.D. onwards. The Sami are considered to be Lapland's own indigenous population.
It is first mentioned by name in official documents in 1453, existing effectively as a set of small villages whose inhabitants earned their living mainly in agriculture and animal husbandry - with fishing and hunting the most important offshoots.
The exploitation of Lapland's natural resources in the 1800s boosted Rovaniemi's growth. Extensive logging sites and gold fever attracted thousands of people to Lapland. As the mining of natural resources was increased, Rovaniemi became the business center of the Province of Lapland.
During the Second World War, Finland signed the Moscow Armistice and found itself involved in the Lapland War with its former German ally. Retreating German forces utilized scorched earth tactics, and though initially German General Lothar Rendulic ordered only the public buildings in Rovaniemi to be destroyed, on 13 October 1944 the German army received orders to destroy all the buildings in Rovaniemi, only excluding hospitals and houses where inhabitants were present.[6] The explosion of a German ammunition train at the railway station further contributed to the complete destruction of the town. During these hostilities 90 percent of all the buildings in Rovaniemi were destroyed.[7]
Because of the unspoiled nature and numerous recreational opportunities, tourism is an important industry in Rovaniemi. The city has a number of hotels and restaurants located both in the center and on the outskirts of the town.
Since Rovaniemi represents the capital of the Province of Lapland, many government institutions have their offices there. About 10,000 of the inhabitants are students. Rovaniemi is home to not only the University of Lapland but also the Rovaniemi University of Applied Sciences (formerly known as the Rovaniemi Polytechnic), which comprises institutes of information and traditional technology, business, health and social care, culinary studies, forestry, rural studies and sports. Local newspapers include the Lapin Kansa, Uusi Rovaniemi and ROI-press.
Rovaniemi's most prominent landmarks include the Jätkänkynttilä bridge with its eternal flame over the Kemijoki river, the Arktikum House which rises out of the bank of the Ounasjoki river, the Rovaniemi Town Hall, the Lappia House which serves as a theatre, concert hall and congress centre, and the library. The last three mentioned buildings are by the famous Finnish architect Alvar Aalto. Official home town of Santa Claus,[8][9][10] Santa Claus Village and Santapark, is located 8 km north of the centre. Rovaniemi is also home to the world's most northern branch of McDonald's. The Arktikum is a very comprehensive museum of Finland's and the world's Arctic regions.
Directly across the river from the town is the Ounasvaara ski center. The top of the Ounasvaara hill bears the site of some of the earliest known human settlements in the area.
A phenomenon also attracting numerous tourists is the Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights. In Finnish Lapland the number of auroral displays can be as high as 200 a year whereas in southern Finland the number is usually fewer than 20.
The educational department takes part in Lifelong Learning Programme 2007–2013 in Finland.
Rovaniemi is the northernmost point of the electric railway system managed by the Finnish Rail Administration. VR Group operates direct daytime and overnight passenger trains from Rovaniemi Station to Oulu, Tampere, Helsinki and Turku. Diesel-powered passenger trains operate north-east of Rovaniemi to Kemijärvi. Rovaniemi Airport is located about 10 kilometres (6 mi) north of the Rovaniemi city centre.
Due to its location almost on the Arctic Circle, Rovaniemi has a subarctic climate (Köppen Dfc) with short, mild summers and very cold and snowy winters. The city lies just south of the 0°C (32°F) mean annual isotherm, but freezing in the soil is very limited even during the winter by heavy snow cover.
| Climate data for Rovaniemi | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | −8.5 (16.7) |
−8.1 (17.4) |
−2.8 (27.0) |
2.7 (36.9) |
10.2 (50.4) |
16.8 (62.2) |
19.4 (66.9) |
16.1 (61.0) |
10.0 (50.0) |
2.6 (36.7) |
−3.5 (25.7) |
−6.9 (19.6) |
4.0 (39.2) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −15.1 (4.8) |
−14.1 (6.6) |
−9.4 (15.1) |
−4.5 (23.9) |
1.8 (35.2) |
8.1 (46.6) |
11.0 (51.8) |
8.6 (47.5) |
3.8 (38.8) |
−2 (28) |
−8.7 (16.3) |
−13.3 (8.1) |
−2.8 (27.0) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 42.1 (1.657) |
33.6 (1.323) |
35.6 (1.402) |
30.9 (1.217) |
35.9 (1.413) |
59.1 (2.327) |
69.1 (2.72) |
71.7 (2.823) |
54.0 (2.126) |
54.6 (2.15) |
48.6 (1.913) |
41.7 (1.642) |
576.9 (22.713) |
| Avg. precipitation days | 10 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 10 | 114 |
| Source: World Meteorological Organisation (UN)[11] | |||||||||||||
(figures December 31, 2005)
1998 Spanish romantic film Lovers of the Arctic Circle (Los amantes del Círculo Polar), by director Julio Medem, partly takes place in Rovaniemi.
Rovaniemi appears in the video game Tom Clancy's EndWar as a possible battlefield. In the game, Rovaniemi houses military facilities critical to a missile shield for a European Federation.[12]
Rovaniemi is a central scene in a documentary film Reindeerspotting.
TV-Star Bam Margera and his friends travelled to Rovaniemi in their movie Bam Margera Presents: Where the ♯$&% Is Santa? in order to find Santa Claus who is assumed to live in Rovaniemi.
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